Run Away With Me
by Merry Wanderer of the Night
Summary: What happens if Katniss says yes when Gale asks to run away?  What if all of the Seam joins the adventure?
1. Chapter 1

"We could do it, you know," Gale says quietly.

"What?" I ask.

"Leave the district. Run off, live in the woods. You and I, we could make it," says Gale.

I don't know how to respond. The idea is so preposterous. But, somehow it was reasonable.

"What if?" I say, almost mouthing the words.

"What if what?" Gale whispers back.

"What if we did? Who would trade meat at the Hob?" He reached for my hand and I pull back. I spun around and grabbed my game bag and bow, storming off toward the fence.

"Katniss! Wait! What's wrong? I'm sorry!" He shouldn't have been yelling. If I had wanted to hunt anymore, he would have scared away all the game.

It wasn't the idea in general that scared me. It was the fact that I had actually thought about running away.

"It wouldn't work. Your brothers and sister, Prim, our mothers?" I wanted him to know I thought it was crazy. But I didn't.

Gale smiled, and reached out to touch my cheek.

"I know you to well, Katniss. You don't think its crazy, do you?" I shook my head and he smiled again. I looked into his gray eyes. There was no way I could argue.

We glided quietly through the woods, carrying our stuffed game bags. I was punishing Gale with silence. He kept glancing sideways to me, and it made me very uncomfortable. I was still beating myself up for considering his idea. What would happen if we got caught? We would have our tongues cut out and become Avoxes, servants of the Capitol.

When we got to the fence, I rolled underneath it, with Gale following. I must have looked worried, because he gave me a hug and began to run toward his home. So, we wouldn't be trading our catches. That was okay with me, I had to convince Prim and my mother to run away wit Gale and I. It would be hard for my mother. She's never had to completely fend for herself; she's always had people giving her what she needs.

I burst into the house, threw my game bag on the floor, and ran into the kitchen, where my mother was preparing Prim for the Reaping.

"Mother, I need to talk to you about something," I said, out of breath.

"Katniss, what's wrong?" Prim's eyes were bright and cheery, waiting to hear what I had to say.

"We're running away," I said, waiting to hear her response.

"I know. All of district 12 is leaving."

"What?" I was utterly confused. She then explained to me that a secret meeting was held near the Hob. The people of the Seam, the poor section of district 12, had appointed three leaders for our escape. They had titled them the Counsel. Not everyone was leaving, but enough that the Seam needed leaders. They had, of course, chosen people that I didn't trust. But then again, I don't trust anyone but Gale and Prim. Gale and I were chosen to be the guides, because we were the only ones who knew the woods.

We were to leave right before the Reaping, when names were chosen for the Hunger Games. So we had only a few hours to prepare for what might be the end of our lives. I tried to reassure myself that the Capitol couldn't kill an entire district, but I knew I was wrong. They could do anything they wanted to.

While packing a light bag with essential items, I remembered the people that would stay. They would be punished for our rebellion, and I felt bad. I quickly corrected myself by remembering the people that would be saved. Gale, Prim, and most of district 12 would be saved.

"Its time to go to the Reaping!" my mother yelled in an overly cheery tone, from the bottom of the stairs. This is what most of the Seam mothers would be yelling to their children.

"Yes, mother," I yelled back, in the same tone. I stood in our shack breathing the air that will for eternity smell like coal. Grabbing my father's hunting jacket, I slid my feet into my hunting boots. I had a leather bag strapped to my back, and in it I had a few bottles of water, and the game that I had hunted that day. I was nervous, and worried that I might lose some of the people I care about.

* * *

><p><em>Author's note<em>

_ Thank you so much for reading and for editing, Maddie. Thank you also in advance for reviewing and subscribing. _


	2. Chapter 2

Escaping was the easy part. The exits were staggered. Every ten minutes, Gale and I led ten more people into the woods. The going was slow, but once everyone was into the woods, Gale and I led them all deep into the forest. I had grabbed the carefully hidden bows that my father had made, and Gale and I led most of District Twelve into the forest.

I wondered why there had been no hovercrafts, or peacekeepers chasing us. Today was the reaping, after all, and missing it was punished severely. We must have been missed in the square. I came to the conclusion that the capitol and all that worked for them didn't care all that much if a couple hundred miners disappeared. They would make an excuse, as they always did, and that's what they would tell the other districts. Maybe they would say a plague had taken us, or a serial killer. It didn't really matter.

We walked for hours. Eventually, when we were far enough away from our district, we set up camp, sleeping on the soft ground. Our objective was to get as far from the capitol and anyone else who would want to capture us.

Hours turned into days, days to weeks, weeks to months, months to years. Two whole years had gone by before we found it. Before we found the city. It was a glorious city, filled with the most dazzling buildings.

We came across it one day, when Gale, a few other men, and I were hunting. We hadn't much luck, and I was beginning to get impatient. Two squirrels and a scrawny rabbit. That was all we had managed to catch. That was hardly enough to fed over two hundred people. I had told Gale that I would go ahead of the group, to scout the land in front of us.

I ran ahead, being careful and making next to no sound. A metallic glint caught my eye, just beyond a line of tees ahead of me. I stopped running, slowing to a walk. I parted the branches of the shrubbery, revealing the most beautiful city I had ever seen. I'd never seen buildings this tall, not even the ones that we saw on the required television shows from the Capitol. The buildings in this city were not colorful, like the Capitol's. This city's towered at least three times taller than that of the Capitol's. These towers were made of glass and metal, and were more dazzling to at than the sun.

As soon as I set my eyes on it, I nearly tripped over my own feet, trying to get back to our hunting party. As soon as I reached them, I was out of breath. I collapsed at Gale's feet, trying to tell him what I had seen. All I could manage was a strangled gasp. Somehow, Gale understood. "Where, Katniss," he said. I rose, pointing in the direction I had come.

The hunting party and I scouted the city. I knew by the architecture that is was before the war. You could tell that it was abandoned by the grass and vines sprouting everywhere, and the strange metal objects lining the street. I didn't know for sure what they were for, but they resembled trains, so I assumed they were vehicles used for transportation.

We continued walking down the deserted streets, when I noticed something. The sun was setting, so the city was full of shadows. A light. Inside a building, not far from where we had come to a stop, a light was on in one of the many stories. Spinning on my heel to face the group, I put my hand out to stop them.

Gale looked at me questioningly, and I pointed to the window. His eyes widened, and we went into a zone. This happened almost every time we hunted. We had each other's backs, and ignored everything that wasn't of concern to us. Our hunting group struggled to keep up, as Gale and I kept to the shadows, closing in on our target.  
>When we reached the building, I tried the door. It was open. Inside, the building was damp and musty. Lost birds and bats flew overhead. I briefly wondered how they got in, but dismissed my thoughts soon thereafter. The smell was the worst. Almost immediately after entering the building, I had to cover my nose. It smelled of rotting corpses and mothballs.<p>

Despite this, the lobby we were standing in was more extravagant than nearly all the buildings in District Twelve. A slightly broken crystal chandelier hung above. Velvet couches sat placed throughout the room. I looked around, taking it all in.

Signaling to Gale, I began to climb the flights of stairs that started in one of the corners of the room. We moved quickly and quietly. Eventually we reached what we thought must be the floor where we had seen the light.

I put my hand to my lips, reminding the rest of our party to stay silent, though they hardly needed to be told that. One of the younger ones looked as though he were about to wet himself. They nodded their heads. Gale looked at me, then back at the group, mouthing to them to stay behind. He walked up to me, touching my shoulder lightly as we crept down the hallway, which was lined with numbered doors. I noticed that from underneath one of the many doors that lined the hall, a bit of light shone. Looking towards Gale, we silently, but mutually decided to open the door. Creeping slowly, one step almost every thirty seconds, we reached the door. Breathing deeply, but once again silently, I reached for the doorknob. Locked.

Inhaling sharply, Gale reached for the tool belt, secured to his waist. He retrieved a hammer. First raising it over his head, he brought it down on the flimsy door- handle. I raised my foot, kicking the door off the hinges.

I never could have braced myself enough for what I saw inside.

* * *

><p><em>Author's Note:<em>

_Thank you so much for putting up with me all this time, and thank you even more for reading. I am soooooo sorry for the super long delay, but I have been beyond busy. Between homework, a Hot Chelle Rae concert, basketball practice (four times a week, 2 hours every time), Pottermore, my other fanfic, my fiction press, and stuff I do with my friends, I have not been able to get everything done :P. Please review, favorite, and subscribe. It would mean the world to me! Once again, I apologize for not updating since September, and I promise it won't take me that long next time._

_I hope to have the next chapter up next week, bu until then. BYEYEYEYYEYE!_

_Oh, and last thing. Virtual hugs to everyone who mentions they read the note in the reviews. ;)_

_I lied, this is the last thing. I just wanted to let everyone know, I did not review my own story. That would be messed up. My friend tried to review from my laptop, and she forgot to sign me out. Obviously I can't delete it, otherwise, I would. Just to clarify, I DID NOT REVIEW MY OWN STORY. _

_ Okay, now I'm done.  
><em>


	3. Chapter 3

My eyes widened. How could this be? All of our lives, we had been told that North America had been swallowed by the sea, killing all who lived in those regions. Well, now we knew that this wasn't true. We had been fed a bunch of lies by the capitol, just like we always had.

There were people. Six of them, huddled in a corner, shaking with fear. I heard Gale swear under his breath, and he grabbed my hand. Immediately, I felt my face get very hot, and I pulled my hand from his roughly. How dare he try to distract me at at a time like this!

I was still absolutely stunned by the presence of what seemed to be a family. The father, I assumed, stood. "Who are you?" he asked firmly. I recognized his voice as that of a man who's only goal in life is to care for those he loves. I suppose that was what I sounded like as well.

"Who are _you?" _Gale said, frustrated. How where these people even in this city? I raised my bow, pointing it at the family. While doing it, I quavered slightly, seeing the face on the youngest girl, a tiny thing with dark black hair and piercing blue eyes. Those eyes. Just like Prim's. _Focus Katniss! _The man squealed, trying to wrap his arms around those that I appeared to be about to shoot.

"Answer the question," I demanded, upset with myself for being so cruel.

The man gathered himself. I could see in his eyes that he was scolding himself for looking so weak. "How did you find our city? We've been hidden for seventy four years! Now you break down my door, point a weapon at my wife and my children, and demand to know who _I _am? How about I ask who you are?" Seventy four years? That was how long ago the war was. Are these the rebels that were counted as dead? How did they feed themselves? How have they survived for this long?

The man grew impatient, tapping his foot on the floor. "I'm Gale. This is Katniss," Gale said, sighing.

"And who are they?" I looked behind me, snarling at the men behind me. I thought Gale had told them to stay behind. The young man that had been terrified by my presence looked as though he had wet himself.

Gale had looked back at them as well. "I thought we told you to stay put!" He sighed. It doesn't matter now. Just listen to us next time we tell you to do something," Gale said. The men all nodded their heads furiously, obviously terrified of what we might do if they didn't.

"We still don't know who you are," I said, growing impatient myself.

"I'm the mayor of this fine city, and you have no right to be here."

* * *

><p><em>AN_

_K, so this is a super short chapter... Sorry bout that. It also lacks... like... umm... a plot? Uh yea... Oops. In the last author's note, I said that I would update "next week." That didn't end up happening. I've been super busy, and I apologize for that._ _Thanks to teamGale143, and Cloud-Lover26 for reviewing. ALSO super huge thanks to valenari and mollyfishie for subscribing after last chapter. _

_I'm super nervous for my first basketball game tomorrow... wish me luck!_


End file.
